English Reference
Adjective

hunky

adj.
C2 Proficiency US /ˈhəŋki/ UK /hˈʌŋki/ hunky

adj.describing a man who is very attractive and has a strong, healthy body. It is a casual way to say someone is good-looking.

adj.describing a man as physically attractive and robust.


SIMPLE

He is a hunky guy with a great smile.

CONTEXTUAL

The movie star is famous for his hunky looks and his ability to play action heroes.

It gets the relationship so much further down the road when it’s not two hunky dudes.

The Guardian· 1 Sept 2026

Teen crush magazines:  Tiger Beat and other teeny-bopper titles featured photos of hunky stars and casually intimate details about teen heartthrobs, making them a precursor to today’s voracious celebrity gossip culture.

Smithsonian Magazine· 17 Jun 2026

Etymology 1

From hunk + -y.

Etymology 2

From the older *hunk, probably alteration of Hungarian + -ie/-y. Compare bohunk and honky / honkey.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Occasional
Updated